Cities seem to take all the self sufficiency out of life.....
Nail has been hit directly on the head. People rely on either government or a corporation for damn near everything. Most (not all) lose any ability to do any practical, anything of value to anybody but a corporation or government. They become a cog in the machine. That is fine....until the machine breaks. Then they are let down at the realization that they have falling into a state where they are nothing without the machine.
I personally believe that I fell into this trap. Truth is, I'm still in it. I am slowly trying to make my way out of it with my land and my prepping, but most importantly with my mindset. Acknowledging a problem is the first step in overcoming it.